SOONER OR LATER




POP QUIZ: Who can remember swooning and sighing to the following song:

SIMPLY JESSIE
Music by Stephen Lawrence, Lyrics by Bruce Hart
Sung by Rex Smith
From the book and movie, "Sooner or Later"

And I don't know how I knew it
But I knew it somehow,
You're the answer to the question
No one's answered 'til now.

And I don't know what you see
What you see in me,
But girl it's nothing to
What I see in you.

Stars that glisten, lips for kissin'
Honey, listen, it's true
No one ever loved you better
Love you honey...

And I've known a girl or two
But none of them was you
And they could never be
What you are to me

Stars that glisten, lips for kissin'
Honey, listen, it's true
No one ever loved you better
Love you, honey,
I love you

Hmmm, I love you
Oh-oh, I love you, uh-huh
I love you, Mmm,

I love you.


ANSWER: Your age is showing!

Like most girls who experienced their first blush of love in the early eighties, I've held this song close to my heart through all these years. It was the most romantic song I'd ever heard. Those unmistakeable first few bars on the guitar was a siren call which would summon me from whatever it was I was doing to the nearest radio, where I would listen, transfixed, to Rex Smith's voice and imagine he was singing to, well, ME of course!

"Simply Jessie" was just one of those songs that dripped romance. The storybook, fairytale-movie kind of romance favored by prepubescent girls in their freshman year in High School. And just like Jessie, the 13-year-old protagonist in the book and the made-for-TV-movie, "Sooner or Later", I was a HOPELESS ROMANTIC, eagerly awaiting my first love.

Well, my "first love" has obviously come and gone, and my second and third besides. After my first serious relationship, which would last throughout my freshman year in UP Diliman, I would have two more serious relationships, both of them long-term, one which would last for six years and was headed for the altar, and the other which actually made it there, but unfortunately did not make it past the same six-year shelf-life.

Accompaniment to these relationships were songs which would weave themselves into the soundtrack of my life: "Victims" by Culture Club, "I Don't Need You" by Rupert Holmes, even "Lady in Red" by Chris deBurgh, but sadly, even though one of my former flames had Michael Skye's good looks and one of them (classically trained in music), his musical ability, none of my exes would bring me back to that time capsule in my life, where my breathless, bright-eyed, blushing alter-ego still swooned and sighed at the sight of Rex Smith (who played Michael Skye in the movie) singing "Simply Jessie" for me and me alone.

All these years, I had THE song, but no man who deserved to sing it. And so it remained MY song, as opposed to "our" song. A song I enjoyed in private, which evoked memories, not of the men who shared my life, but of my long-lost Prince Charmings, the teen idols of my youth: Jimmy MacNichol, Leif Garrett, Shaun Cassidy, Parker Stevenson, and of course, Rex Smith.

Yes, I'll admit I used to read Teen Beat, 16 and Tiger Beat back in those days, even though my cousin, Tina Gaerlan, wrinkled her nose in disdain at my "bakya" taste, telling me my teen magazines were the equivalent of "Kislap" in the States and I was better off reading "Seventeen". (I was in "masa" UPIS and she was from "sosyal" Poveda, but she would later join me in that proud bastion of the Great Unwashed, UP Diliman.)

But I digress. My point is that after three long-term relationships and a sprinkling of mild to serious flirtations, I had yet to meet my "Michael Skye". A man who could turn my legs to butter just at the mention of my name, whose mere touch could reduce me to putty, whose smile could brighten up my entire universe. Such a man could only be a product of fiction, right?

Right. Eleven years ago, that's exactly what I would've said. "Right."

But then someone came my way, close to the stroke of midnight, eleven years ago, who made me believe again. A man who was so good-looking, people would turn their heads and stare; so strong, he could lift you with one arm, yet so gentle he would sing to your hair in the dark and spend the rest of the night in the same uncomfortable position just so you could sleep, unhindered, in his arms.

He was everything I found attractive in a man: makisig, matipuno, moreno. And did I fail to mention super-lakas ng dating? Yet he was shy, humble, self-effacing. Pure salt of the earth. I couldn't believe he was for real. And I fell for him. Hard.

Life was so uncertain back then, and our love grew in a vacuum, enclosed in our own little corner of the world facing Manila Bay. It was then that I learned how to love without expecting anything in return. It was enough for me to gaze at him while he was sleeping and marvel at how beautiful he was, even in his tousled state. I couldn't believe my luck. I had found my Michael Skye, and just like Jessie in the movie, he only had eyes for me!

I knew I would get it right, "sooner or later"! And now, eleven years down the road and twenty-eight years since my freshman year in High School, "Simply Jessie" sounds fresh as ever, because now I've finally found someone I'm willing to share it with. Someone who truly deserves it. Someone who promised me he would learn to play it in his guitar and sing it for me. And someone whose voice could finally do justice to the song.

I am truly blessed. I have finally found my storybook hero. And I'm married to him. Yes, life goes on, even after the credits read "The End". And I'm glad to say that in the book that is my life, in my very own made-for-TV-movie, I'm still living, and writing, that happy ending. With him by my side.

Happy anniversary, my love. I still thank the Lord for you, everyday.



To quote another Rex Smith song from the movie, even after knowing you all these eleven years, you still "take my breath away"!

Love, R.

BALLERINA GIRL (L. Richie)



(This is dedicated to my daughter, my inspiration, my Reanna.)

Ballerina girl, you are so lovely.
With you standing there, I'm so aware
Of how much I care for you.
You are more than now,
You are for always.
I can see in you
My dreams come true
Don't you ever go away...



With love,
Mom

PREHISTORIC PAYBACK




Today is Lorenzo's birthday. His 38th, to be exact. But as far as I'm concerned, it's payback time.

I happen to be a little older than my husband. Nothing major, just a matter of fourteen and a half months. Since I celebrated my 39th BIRTHDAY, however, last March, someone (and I won't mention names) has been teasing me about my age and the whole "pushing 40" thing.

Of course it wasn't long before my kids jumped on the bandwagon, making jokes about Mommy walking with cavemen and graduating from Prehistoric University. Ask them how old their Dad is, however, and the answer's always the same. Twenty-seven.

Yep. Daddy's got 'em trained well. Cheeky little things.

For the past few months, Mommy just grinned and bore it. After all, there was no going around it: He was 37, she was 39.

Until today, when someone else's birthday comes one notch closer to the four-zero mark. And to commemorate this happiest of occasions, Mommy found the perfect CAKE online. An exquisitely executed chocolate prehistoric landscape dotted with a volcano, a T-Rex and a triceratops, all deliciously blended together with vanilla custard filling and butter cream icing.

Happy Birthday, Babe. Consider it even.

Love, R.

(Prada Mama's NOTE: Before everything else, I would like to greet my husband, Lorenzo, "Happy Anniversary" , and to thank him for seven years of wedded bliss. I would also like to thank the Lord for arranging our meeting exactly ten years ago. Little did we know back then that we would still be together, ten years hence.

Happy anniversary, Babe. Here's to the next decade...and the next...and the next...

Oh well, might as well go for broke: Here's to forever! Even though the Bible says there are no marriages in heaven, at least we'll still be together! I love you! R.)
A IS FOR al'-pha-bet.



This is one of my favorite photos of my daughter, Reanna.

I call it "Helping Hands", and although it is not my picture, per se, I am using it as my main photo on my FRIENDSTER profile. After all, that is my hand you see, attached to the Rolex on the left.

I have to admit I am a relative late-bloomer as far as Friendster is concerned. But now that I've jumped on the bandwagon, I am discovering the joys of revisiting old friends and making new ones, many of whom are my fellow bloggers themselves: ATE SIENNA, CHRISTINE, RUTH and JUSTICE to name a few. And if you think my Friendster picture is unconventional, you should see MEEYAGIRL's!

But I digress from the point of this post, which is to officially introduce my Friendster BLOG, "al'pha-bet".

Now, this blog differs from my other blogs because it has short posts. Period. In fact, the following post, written today, is probably the longest of the lot, but that's because I wanted this introduction to be extra-special.

And so, without further ado, I now present the latest entry in "AL'-PHA-BET", the ABC's of Prada Mama's life:

A is for ANNIVERSARY

Today is my seventh wedding anniversary.

Today also happens to be Harry Potter's birthday. And today is the second wedding anniversary I have spent with my nose buried in a book with that familiar diamond Harlequin pattern.

Exactly two years ago, I was celebrating my fifth anniversary at the Crowne Plaza in Milpitas, learning about Horcruxes while my family frolicked in the pool. Later in the day, I would be in the car with my sleeping baby, reading under the sun's fading light while the boys (my husband and sons) played in the beach at Santa Cruz. I would've even brought the tome along as we rode Thomas the Tank Engine at Roaring Camp Railroad, but alas, it was too big and unwieldy.

Yup, July 31 is special for me and The Boy Who Lived, who should have turned 17 a few hours ago at the stroke of midnight, which means he can now do magic without a Trace.

And since we're on the subject, may I also mention that today also happens to be Neville Longbottom's birthday. Yes, this Muggle was paying attention.
By now it should be obvious that this Muggle is eagerly devouring the last book in the Harry Potter series, wondering how much Neville Longbottom and their shared birthday plays into the most anticipated conclusion of all time. And yes, I think Snape is loyal.

So allow me to now take my leave, with a quick French lesson from one on my favorite characters, Fleur Delacour:

A is for adieu,
A is for anniversaire, and
A is for 'Arry.

SUMMER PEACH




My daughter, Reanna, makes a luscious summer peach.

Climb two branches up the family tree to my older son, Lance, and you'll find a summer squash. At least HE did, yesterday, when he fell off his horse at SUMMER CAMP.

But I'm getting ahead of my story here. First, let me tell you about summer in the Sereno household, which began with...


Troy's Kindergarten Graduation

...

...

I find it hard to believe I'm now writing about my younger son's graduation from kindergarten. Wasn't it just yesterday when I wrote about Lance's HULA NUMBER during his kindergarten graduation? And now he's busy flying off horses somewhere in Yosemite National Park. But again, I digress.

Troy has always been my baby. His whole class had been practicing hard for their graduation program, and I was curious to see their grand finale. Needless to say, being the Mom that I was, I started crying during their very first number, "What a Wonderful World", which the class sang and signed. By the time they got to the Power Point presentation of the kids' pictures with my favorite Christian music in the background, the floodgates were opened and there was no stopping the torrent of tears. But I knew I wasn't the only emotional parent in the audience. I couldn't help it, of course. I was so proud of my baby.

Oh, and I must say his Barong Tagalog stole the show!




Shortly after graduation, we received the boys' report cards in the mail. Both of them did so well, they received a prize for their stellar performance.




That marked the official end of the school year. I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. Summer was here! For months I'd been looking forward to those long, lazy, langorous days. Ahh...sweet indolence.

NOT!

Indeed, since summer began, I've been accosted with requests of walks to the park, swimming, bike riding and trips to covered bridges. My beautiful babies, all fair and beatific looking last winter, have put on the season's colors!

From this...


...to this!


Like my husband always says: "Just add water..."




Even as I type this, my Lance is continuing to brown under the broad expanse of Yosemite's skies. He is now 7, the youngest age that can go to Adventurer's Camp.

Now, Lorenzo and I would have probably balked at sending him away from us for the first time, but since we had just gone to Camp Wawona for FAMILY CAMP last Easter, we felt comfortable that he would be in good hands.

Indeed, the atmosphere at Camp Wawona is so wholesome. The camp is run by the Central California Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, and it has been around since even before Yosemite was declared a National Park. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay there last Spring. The cabins were comfortable, the food was awesomely good, and the scenery was matchless.






Now Lance gets another turn to experience Yosemite's many pleasures and treasures. I miss my son. We dropped him off at Camp Wawona last Sunday and the house hasn't been the same since. I marvel at how much he's grown. My former preemie, who came into this world six weeks early at 5 lbs. 3 oz., is now a big boy with so much independence in him. He was totally ready for this summer camp experience.

In fine camp tradition, I baked him his favorite Zucchini Nut Bread and sent it to him through the Post Office. Lance first discovered Zucchini Nut Bread at Starbuck's, where we used to go as a family, Lorenzo and I foregoing our usual Caramel Macchiatos for the more wholesome Strawberries and Cream. I knew it would be the perfect thing to send, standing up to more Postal Service abuse than the traditional cookies or fudge. As an added bonus, I also sent him a sheet of the new STAR WARS stamps for him to start a new stamp collection with. And finally, attached to the hand-written card Troy and I made for him was a couple of postcard stamps, in case he wanted to write us back.

I guess the package got to my son just at the right time, after dinner and just before he was taken to the hospital for X-rays. It seems that my son fell off when his horse suddenly bolted at the end of their horseback-riding session. Lorenzo spoke with him yesterday, and he seemed okay, but today he had some bit of bruising and tenderness in his left elbow and hip so the medical staff thought it best to have him checked.

I spoke to Lance before they left, and he told me he would share his Zucchini Nut Bread with his cabinmates and Matt, their couselor. He also told me there were two Daves and two Austins in his cabin, which he found quite amusing. I forgot to ask him if he kept the bunk right by the bathroom, which we chose for him when he went to Line Call on his first day, just before dinner. It was hard for us to leave him then, and his Daddy and I found so many excuses to linger at the cafeteria while they were eating. I guess we were both reluctant to let our son go so far away from us for such a long time.





And now the week is almost over. Lance asked us to pick him up as early as possible. He said he was having a lot of fun, but he also didn't like being away from us too much. It warmed my heart to hear this. He also requested to speak with his brother and sister, who were with me in...


Vacation Bible School

This year, our church did "AVALANCHE RANCH", which promised to be "a wild ride through God's Word". From Monday to Friday this week, our Fellowship Hall was brightened by the sound of children singing songs, participating in Bible stories, and making clever crafts. It's a great way to bring children closer to the Lord.

I was also happy that Vacation Bible School happened just when Lance went to summer camp, because it made his absence a bit more bearable for his brother and sister. Troy, in particular, has suffered through the separation, coming to me in tears on a couple of occasions, saying "I miss Lancey...". He consoled himself by lying on his Kuya's bed. It was enough to break any mother's heart.

But everyday this week, my children's spirits would brighten in anticipation of VBS. Come early evening, loneliness would be temporarily forgotten as they joined other children singing in front, praying, memorizing Bible verses, ignoring dinner and wolfing down dessert. Troy even made me proud by refusing help in writing down Bible verses, carefully doing it himself.






Troy and Reanna had such a wonderful time at VBS, I'm almost sorry it's come to an end. But this just brings us one day closer to seeing Lance again, so I guess I don't mind. Besides, with the number of churches around us, I'm sure there will be other Vacation Bible Schools my kids can attend this summer.

The best part of it all? Their Kuya Lance will be with them next time around!




We miss you, Lance! We're so happy you're coming back soon.

Love, Mom

WHY I LOVE HAVING A DAUGHTER, #11*



pink Chinese slippers, child size: $0.99

matching blue Chinese slippers, adult size: $0.99

gas to and from the dollar store: about $0.99

another Mother-Daughter moment: priceless!


(* Click HERE for Reasons #1-10, a.k.a. "THANK GOD FOR LITTLE GIRLS")

CLOUD THIRTY-NINE




These happy grins are the best birthday present any Mom could ever get.

This year, my birthday came right in the middle of Spring Break. And, if you ask any of my kids what they did for Spring Break, chances are you'll get just one word out of them: picnic. Indeed, that's all we seemed to do for two weeks: 1) Find a park, 2) Eat, and 3) Play.

And, with the advent of today's mega-one-stop-shop supermarkets, picnics couldn't be easier to plan. In fact, I came out with four easy steps for a foolproof picnic HERE, just based on our recent Spring Break jaunts.

For my birthday, however, we mixed things up a bit. The kids and I were in the mood for something hot this time, so we drove through Taco Bell for a 10-pack of bean burritos prepared just the way we want it: with green salsa and onions. YUM!

Now, this would normally be an issue right in the dead of winter, with five gas-making factories in our family, but since we were headed for the park, with its wide-open spaces, I figured we were in safe territory.

So we went to the park, stopping at home first to leave a note for Dad. I knew Lorenzo would try to take off early from work so he could join us for my birthday. Sure enough, I was thrilled to see my husband's familiar blue sportscar pull up just as the kids made a beeline for the playset.

Now my birthday was complete!




When the sun finally set, we headed home to light the candles on my gourmet cheesecake brownie. Don't let the size fool you. That thing was so rich, a tiny wedge was enough to satisfy my cravings for both brownies and cheesecake!



And then we retired for the night. The very first night I was 39. Thirty-nine.

Sigh!

  

I guess I can now resign myself to the fact that I'm officially pushing 40. But that's okay.

Running after them keeps me young!